Smoker&#39;s ash tray



June 23, 1964 P. E. HOLTSCH 3,133,282

SMOKER'S ASH TRAY Filed April 20, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f5 Z9 lllll M H 25 25 g i n 22 MM a W l ;=e 6 12/ g M M an: v i I: I I

H /0 M 1 l4 i M fag I I Ii 1mm 1 /5? 7 A I 1 1! 20 Mill llllll l l i'j 41' ll 3 :23 ,1. g 1 24 i l [I v 5 I n r I ,2? g 2/ Mrnwrap Pefer 5 #01756 3,138,282 MOKERS ASH TRAY Peter E. Hoitseh, 22 Nero-tal, Wiesbaden, Germany Filed A r. 2t), 1962, Ser. No. 139,151 Ciaims priority, application Germany Apr; 22, 1961 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-405) This invention relates to a smokers ash tray with a centrifugal disc, a free-wheel mechanism, a screw spindle, a nut and a divided housing.

I Smokers ash trays are known the opening of which is closable by means of a centrifugal disc. The centrifugal disc is operated by a knob by which a screw spindle is rotated, uncovers the opening and tensions a spring. The

spring brings the centrifugal disc back into its position of rest.

Forms of construction are likewise known in which a bridge is arranged above the centrifugal disc and serves as a support for the knob and as a holder'for the screw spindle which is guided in a bearing in the ash receptacle.

All these forms of construction have an operating knob which is arranged on the spindle in the middle above the centrifugal disc. This operating knob, however, as well as the bridge make it difiicult to place ash and cigar or cigarette ends on the centrifugal disc. In addition the space for receiving several burning cigarettes, cigars or the like is restricted. Moreover, the smouldering components of the smoke soil the operating knob and its holding device. The perfect functioning and good appearance are impaired thereby.

The invention overcomes these objections in a novel, unexpected and progressive manner by providing a smokrs ash tray which comprises a bottom part, a two-part housing surrounding said bottom part, a centrifugal disc withan unbroken exposed upper surface accommodated in said housing, a spring-loaded vertical screw spindle centraily arranged in said housing underneath said centrifugal disc, said housing being vertically slidable on said bottom part together with said centrifugal disc and said screw spindle, a sleeve guiding said screw spindle, and connecting elements establishing operative connection between said housing and said screw spindle.

The upper surface of the centrifugal disc is thus absolutely free for placing thereon burning cigars, cigarettes as well as butts thereof and ash, because there is neither an operating knob nor a holding device above the centrifugal disc. The cen-trifugal disc is actually operated by pressing downwardly the whole housing over the stationary bottom part.

Two preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are central vertical cross sections through one form of construction of a smokers ash tray according to the invention, in position of rest and after the housing has been depressed, respectively, and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are similar views of another form of construction of the ash tray.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an ash tray consists of an upper part 1 and a lower part 2 of a housing arranged above a bottom part 9. A centrifugal disc 4 has an upper unbroken exposed surface 5 and bears against the free edge 28 of the upper part 1 of the housing. The centrifugal disc 4 is provided in a known manner with a free-wheel mechanism 6 and a spindle 7 between which a cone 12 is arranged which has a shallow groove 10 and a butting face 11.

On the bottom part 9 a sleeve 8 is mounted in which a spring 21 and a spring cap 24 are arranged. On the upper end of the sleeve 8 a locking device is provided which engages in the groove 1i when the housing 1, 2 is depressed. This locking device consists of a cage 16 EQQ with balls 17 and a resiliently yieldable ring 18 having an abutment 19.

The lower part 2 of the housing has an extension 3 which is surrounded by a spring 22. Inside the extension 3 teeth 14 are fitted which extend through longitudinal slots 13 in the sleeve 8. The teeth 14 engage in helical guide tracks 15 in the spindle 7 the point 23 of which is supported on the spring cap 24. Noses 2% formed on the teeth 14 come into engagement with the abutment 19 on the ring 18 when the ash tray is operated. a

The upper part 1 of the housing is detachably connected with the lower part 2 of the housing and the bottom part 9' has a peripheral wall 26 which engages in a compartment 25 in the lower part 2 of the housing so that the lower part 2 of the housing together with its compartment 25 can slide over the peripheral wall 26 when depressed. The bottom part is secured against dropping out and is provided on its underside with a coating 27 of yieldable, non-slipping material. i

The ash tray operatesin the following manner:

To impart rotary motion to the centrifugal disc 4-, the housingl, 2 is depressed against the action of the springs 21 and 22, thereby sliding over the peripheral wall 26 of the bottom part 9. The centrifugal disc 4 and the parts connected therewith including the spindle 7 as well as the extension 3 and the teeth 14 are also moved downwardly without any rotary movement taking place, the

teeth 14 sliding from top to bottom in the longitudinalbutting face 11 of the cone 12 and press the ring 18 out-- wardly so that the balls 17 engage in the groove shown in FIG. 2. v I

As soon as the user removes his hand from the housing, the spring 22 presses the housing upwardly, causing the. teeth 14 to slide along the guide tracks 15 in the spindle 7 so that the spindle is set in rotation with the centrifugal disc 4. The locking device holds these parts in their lower positions so that by the upward movement of the housing 1, 2 a gap is opened all round between the edge 28 and the centrifugal disc through which ash and the like are flung into the ash tray.

The centrifugal disc 4 continues to rotate until the noses- Zti come into engagement with the abutmentl; on the ring lfi. As a result, the ring 18 is pressed outwardly so that the spring 21 now pushes the spindle 7 and the centrifugal disc 4 upwardly. The balls 17 are thereby pressed out of the groove 10. As soon as the centrifugal disc 4 comes into contact with theedge 28 of the upper part 1 of the housing, the rotary movement is braked.

In order to empty the ash tray, the upper part 1 is unscrewed from the lower part 2 of the housing. The centrifugal disc 4 is released by lifting it off the teeth 14 and removed with the other rotary parts. The lower part 2 of the housing can easily be emptied and cleaned with the other parts.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, another embodiment of th centrifugal discharging ash tray is disclosed. The ash tray includes a bottom part 9', a lower part 2', and upper part 1'.

The bottom part 9' includes a vertical wall 26' having an intermediate lateral shoulder providing circumferentially spaced bearings 100.

The lower part 2 includes spaced walls telescopically receiving the upper end of wall 26' therein and including a transverse wall 102 separating a refuse compartment 194 from a mechanism-containing compartment 106. The part 102 includes a lower flange 108 projecting beneath the bearings 109 of wall 26' to prevent separation of the parts 26' and 2'.

The part 2' includes an upper peripheral collar 110 which removably receives the top part 1' thereon. The rt 1 includes a depending flange 28 forming an ash- Patented June 23, 1964,

receiving recess 112, and includes a lower edge 114 defining the compartment 104 therebelow.

The wall 102 is centrally apertured and has an integral, internally threaded guide nut 35' secured thereto. An externally threaded spindle 7 extends through the nut 35 and has removably connected at the upper end a free- Wheel mechanism 6' to which is secured a disc 4', the upper surface 5 thereof being engageable with the edge 114 of the flange 28'.

The spindle 7' includes on the lower end 23 thereof a bearing-and-recess portion 34. The wall 102 has depending therefrom pivot support portions 118 including transverse pivot pins 30 upon which are intermediately pivoted levers 31 having one portion 32 engaged on bearings 100, the other end 33' of the levers engaging in the support portion 118.

Spring means 21" is disposed on the upper surface of the compartment 166 and engages the lower surface of a spring plate 24 The parts are normally in the position shown in FIG. 3. When ashes are deposited in recess 112 and it is desired to direct the ashes into compartment 104, the housing parts 1', 2 are pushed downwardly to the position shown in FIG. 4. This downward movement causes the spring means 21 to be compressed, the spindle 7 is caused to rotate due to downward movement of nut 35. The disc 4' will continue to rotate due to free-wheeling after the parts are in the condition shown in FIG. 4.

When pressure is no longer exerted on the housing parts 1', 2' the spring means 21 will be elfective to return the parts to the condition shown in FIG. 3, the disc 4 ceasing to rotate upon engagement with flange edge 114.

(1) Above the centrifugal disc 4' there are neither an operating knob or the like, nor any other parts.

(2) The operation is effected by depressing the whole housing, the parts causing the rotation of the centrifugal disc being arranged underneath the centrifugal disc 4' or the lower part 2' of the housing.

I claim:

1. A centrifugally-discharging ash tray comprising a housing including a bottom, lower and upper part, said bottom part including a bottom wall integral with a vertically-extending side wall including circumferentially spaced lateral bearings, said lower part including an outer wall telescopically receiving the upper end of said lower part therein and including a bottom lateral flange portion underlying said lateral bearings for permitting movement of the lower part onto said bottom part and preventing separation of said parts, said lower part including an upper mounting portion, said upper part including a transverse top wall including a peripheral collar detachably engaged on said lower part mounting portion, said trans verse top wall including an intermediate aperture portion bounded by a depending flange including a lower abutment edge defining an ash-receiving recess thereabove, said lower part including an intermediate, transverse partition wall defining an upper ash-receiving compartment communicating with said ash-receiving recess and a lower mechanism-containing compartment substantially isolated therefrom whereby substantially no foreign matter enters the same, said transverse partition wall including a vertically opening, internally threaded guide nut, an externally threaded spindle extending through said guide nut and including a freely rotatable, centrifugally discharging disk journaled on the upper end thereof, said disk being engageable on the lower abutment edge of said depending flange and closing the ash-receiving recess and ash-receiving compartments and controlling communication therebetween, said threaded spindle including a lower bearingand-recess portion in said mechanism-containing compartment and opening radially from said shaft, said partition wall including depending pivot support portions intermediately of said lateral bearings and said bearing-andrecess portion, lever elements intermediately pivoted for vertical movement on said pivot support portions and including opposite end portions slidably and abuttingly engaged on said lateral bearings and said pivot support portion respectively, and spring means in said mechanismcontaining compartment and operatively connected to said spindle and levers and normally urging said spindle and the disk and the upper end thereof toward the abutment edge of said depending flange whereby depression of said top and lower parts causes said ash-receiving recess and ash-receiving compartment to communicate and as said disk moves down rotation thereof is initiated by movement of said guide nut downwardly with respect to said externally threaded spindle.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said spindle is a two-piece construction permitting said disk and spindle to be separated.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said bearing-andrecess portion comprises a pair of vertically spaced disk elements secured on the lower end of said spindle and receiving inner ends of said lever elements therein.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 

1. A CENTRIFUGALLY-DISCHARGING ASH TRAY COMPRISING A HOUSING INCLUDING A BOTTOM, LOWER AND UPPER PART, SAID BOTTOM PART INCLUDING A BOTTOM WALL INTEGRAL WITH A VERTICALLY-EXTENDING SIDE WALL INCLUDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED LATERAL BEARINGS, SAID LOWER PART INCLUDING AN OUTER WALL TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVING THE UPPER END OF SAID LOWER PART THEREIN AND INCLUDING A BOTTOM LATERAL FLANGE PORTION UNDERLYING SAID LATERAL BEARINGS FOR PERMITTING MOVEMENT OF THE LOWER PART ONTO SAID BOTTOM PART AND PREVENTING SEPARATION OF SAID PARTS, SAID LOWER PART INCLUDING AN UPPER MOUNTING PORTION, SAID UPPER PART INCLUDING A TRANSVERSE TOP WALL INCLUDING A PERIPHERAL COLLAR DETACHABLY ENGAGED ON SAID LOWER PART MOUNTING PORTION, SAID TRANSVERSE TOP WALL INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE APERTURE PORTION BOUNDED BY A DEPENDING FLANGE INCLUDING A LOWER ABUTMENT EDGE DEFINING AN ASH-RECEIVING RECESS THEREABOVE, SAID LOWER PART INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE, TRANSVERSE PARTITION WALL DEFINING AN UPPER ASH-RECEIVING COMPARTMENT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID ASH-RECEIVING RECESS AND A LOWER MECHANISM-CONTAINING COMPARTMENT SUBSTANTIALLY ISOLATED THEREFROM WHEREBY SUBSTANTIALLY NO FOREIGN MATTER ENTERS THE SAME, SAID TRANSVERSE PARTITION WALL INCLUDING A VERTICALLY OPENING, INTERNALLY THREADED GUIDE NUT, AN EXTERNALLY THREADED SPINDLE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID GUIDE NUT AND INCLUDING A FREELY ROTATABLE, CENTRIFUGALLY DISCHARGING DISK JOURNALED ON THE UPPER END THEREOF, SAID DISK BEING ENGAGEABLE ON THE LOWER ABUTMENT EDGE OF SAID DEPENDING FLANGE AND CLOSING THE ASH-RECEIVING RECESS AND ASH-RECEIVING COMPARTMENTS AND CONTROLLING COMMUNICATION THEREBETWEEN, SAID THREADED SPINDLE INCLUDING A LOWER BEARINGAND-RECESS PORTION IN SAID MECHANISM-CONTAINING COMPARTMENT AND OPENING RADIALLY FROM SAID SHAFT, SAID PARTITION WALL INCLUDING DEPENDING PIVOT SUPPORT PORTIONS INTERMEDIATELY OF SAID LATERAL BEARINGS AND SAID BEARING-ANDRECESS PORTION, LEVER ELEMENTS INTERMEDIATELY PIVOTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT ON SAID PIVOT SUPPORT PORTIONS AND INCLUDING OPPOSITE END PORTIONS SLIDABLY AND ABUTTINGLY ENGAGED ON SAID LATERAL BEARINGS AND SAID PIVOT SUPPORT PORTION RESPECTIVELY, AND SPRING MEANS IN SAID MECHANISMCONTAINING COMPARTMENT AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SPINDLE AND LEVERS AND NORMALLY URGING SAID SPINDLE AND THE DISK AND THE UPPER END THEREOF TOWARD THE ABUTMENT EDGE OF SAID DEPENDING FLANGE WHEREBY DEPRESSION OF SAID TOP AND LOWER PARTS CAUSES SAID ASH-RECEIVING RECESS AND ASH-RECEIVING COMPARTMENT TO COMMUNICATE AND AS SAID DISK MOVES DOWN ROTATION THEREOF IS INITIATED BY MOVEMENT OF SAID GUIDE NUT DOWNWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID EXTERNALLY THREADED SPINDLE. 